Outdoors: There are lots of choices for striped bass boats

Friday

Aug 23, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Mark Blazis Outdoors

As the fishing season nears Labor Day, most boaters will try to squeeze as much life out of their craft as possible, waiting for the last minute to store, sell or upgrade. If you're a buyer, it's time to begin watching for bargains.

What's the best striped bass boat for Massachusetts waters? This is a tough and somewhat subjective question, but there are some local considerations that can help narrow your choice.

Do you want a boat that's supremely comfortable in bad weather? Then get one with a cuddy cabin that provides privacy, storage space and shelter from wind, rain and splash.

Most fishermen will forgo those amenities for a center console allowing for fish that circle the boat and need to be fought occasionally from the bow.

If you're going to fish tuna, too, there's no question you want to opt for an open center console, unless you have a captain that is masterful at countermoving with the giants.

A fully equipped boat will have a live well, fish box, radio, fish finder, GPS plot charter and radar. The motor should be a sufficiently powerful, fuel-efficient four-stroke. While some might consider an aluminum boat because its lightness eases towing, allowing for a much larger boat than a similar length fiberglass model, the overwhelming drawback is its lack of stability and comfort in rough conditions. Heavier fiberglass is safer under rough conditions.

One wooden boat got raves from charter boat captain Scott Blazis out of Hyannis. He loves the old MacKenzie Cuttyhunk.

First is size. Remember that bigger is more expensive. Not many people would have a small boat if they could afford a bigger one. If you want a safe boat, it should be about 20 to 26 feet long. I'd pick a 23-footer within that range because of its inherent safety, comfort and ability to trailer.

Two of our region's most skilled fishermen had clear preferences when I broached the question.

Whenever he's not operating, Barnstable surgeon Dr. Edward Caldwell fishes passionately from Central America to Cape Cod, where he prefers a fly rod and light tackle for stripers and tuna. He bought a home on an island in the Bahamas so he could walk out his back door and readily catch bonefish.

Hailing from Worcester County, charter boat captain Mike Wisniewski, featured in various fishing magazines and television shows, is a marine biologist who has spent much of his life on the water. He's legendary for taking big tuna on light spinning rods and limiting out on stripers when others go home skunked.

They take their choice of equipment very seriously. Neither recommended my family's 21-foot Key Largo, a wide boat that's very stable, can negotiate shallow water for flats fishing (but gets wet, takes a beating), and distributes jarring pain mercilessly to its riders in rough water.

For Caldwell, "Nothing beats a center console to take big fish on light tackle. Boats between 20 to 26 feet are optimum. If you want to fish far offshore, like to the canyons, get a bigger boat — like a Cape Horn. With fly fishing, less is more. Less gear on the deck, less stuff to catch your line."

The following boats all deserve consideration. You can see every one of them any day you fish off Chatham. Fishermen who spend as much on their boat as they do on their home down payment or a year's college tuition usually give their purchase a lot of thought. Most of them, however, have second thoughts, later wanting to upgrade to a bigger and better boat.

In arbitrary alphabetical order, here's our local top striper-boat list:

Albemarle: Comfortable and able to take a pounding; Boston Whaler: Unsinkable, stable, but wet and punishing in rough water; Carolina Classic: Comfortable and able to take a pounding; Contender: Comfortable, great offshore and well thought out for fishing; Grady White: Legendary, competently built, but pricey; Jones Brothers: Made for light tackle, especially fly fishing; Mako: An excellent fishing platform and great value for the money, but heavy; Parker: Probably the fastest growing in terms of popularity in New England — few flaws; Regulator: Great ride, solid construction and expensive; Seacraft: The favorite of the Florida crowd, which knows fishing. From sheer numbers off Chatham, it's the most popular here, too.

Wisniewski casts his vote for the 23-foot Seacraft as the best all-around Massachusetts striper boat. "It's fast, stable and fuel efficient with single or twin outboards. It trolls nice and slow and is rock-solid and beam-to-the-sea on the drift. That's why we saw about 100 of those babies yesterday among the commercial fleet at Chatham."

When asked for his second choice, Wisniewski surprisingly suggested a 19-foot Cape Codder. This small, less expensive boat is built to tackle all that Cape Cod can give. It has remarkable sea-keeping ability for its size. With a fiberglass dog house center console and a little four-cylinder, four-stroke motor, you're good to kill bass commercially off Chatham, in the Bay, wherever. The only problem is trying to contact them. Some anglers think they've gone out of business.

I tracked down the new Cape Codder company owner, Robert Dobias, who surprisingly asked, "How did you find me?"

He's currently working on putting together a new website that will allow everyone to learn about his Cape Codder 19 that has gone in and out of production several times. Dobias is the fourth owner of the body molds and has just completed his first boat. It's far easier right now to get a vintage Cape Codder, if you can find someone willing to part with it.

The CC 19 has a long history as a no-frills work boat, well known and highly appreciated by savvy veterans plying the quahog bays of Rhode Island and the commercial rod-and-reel flats of Cape Cod. Its quality and durability in the eyes of owners equals or exceeds the bar set by other boats in the 19-foot category. Just as compelling is a very competitive selling price in the $12,000-15,000 range, which is a pittance compared to many boats on the market today.

Despite being out of production for nearly 13 years, the boat has maintained a cult-like following from commercial fishermen to hard-core recreational anglers.

To get a new one, contact Dobias at his shop at 58 Pulaski St., Peabody, or call (978) 479-1795. He's currently demonstrating his boat at 22 Thomas Road, Swampscott.